Previewing StocExpo Europe

LET’S TALK TANKS

PREVIEW • THIS MONTH’S STOCEXPO EVENT PROMISES TO BE THE BIGGEST YET, WITH MORE THAN 200 EXHIBITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WITH INTERESTING KIT TO SHOWCASE IN EUROPE

STOCEXPO EUROPE CELEBRATES its 15th anniversary this year, sealing its position as the leading event for the bulk liquids storage sector in Europe. The three-day conference and exhibition will take place once again at the Ahoy centre in Rotterdam from 26 to 28 March. The event, which is expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors, will play host to upwards of 200 exhibitors and more than 140 conference delegates from across Europe.

While the casual visitor will be immediately stuck by the size of the exhibition area and the efforts that exhibitors have taken to attract passing trade, StocExpo has in recent years upped its game as far as the associated conference is concerned.

Over the course of three days, speakers will look at market trends, the transition to a low-carbon economy, digitisation and cyber-security risks, and a focus on terminal activities in the US. Sessions will be chaired by Ellen Ruhotas, managing director of Zenith Terminals, on the first day and by commodity analyst Jan Edelmann on the other two days. Worth getting out of bed for will be the keynote presentation on the second day, featuring motivational speaker Steven van Belleghem, who promises to look into the future and give some tips on staying ahead of the competition in a world of artificial intelligence, robots and automation.

WHAT’S GOING ON? The first day of the conference will drill down into the fundamentals impacting the markets for chemicals and petroleum products and what those trends mean for bulk liquids terminal operators. Andy Inglis, principal of Nexant, Energy and Chemicals Advisory, will give a presentation on the current outlook for refined products and a petrochemicals, assessing the impact on demand for tank storage, while taking account of the rise of electric vehicles, the current market backwardation and broader geopolitical issues.

Elswhere on the first day, Jean-Baptiste Renard, CEO of 2PR Consulting, will look at how oil majors are adapting in the new energy environment and what that means for tank storage, and Frank Schaper, director of the German Tank Storage Association, UTV, will give an overview of the structure of the German storage sector. Pete Harrison, executive director, EU policy, at the European Climate Foundation, will discuss how the low energy carbon transition impacts the oil and petrochemical markets. Harrison’s presentation will look at the research undertaken on transport trends in the EU in four main automotive markets: Germany, Poland, France and the UK. A large focus will be paid to electric vehicles and how they contribute to meeting the EU’s climate goals, as well as the impact of the shift from imported oil to domestically produced electricity and hydrogen.

After lunch, a series of case studies will look at particular aspects of the business, beginning with Mike van Croonenburg, director of Alpha Terminals, who will examine how his company – currently engaged in building a greenfield terminal development in Vlissingen – is planning for growth in a world where sustainability is key. Mark Williams, managing director of Shipping Strategy, will look in particular at the International Maritime

Organisation’s (IMO) impending sulphur cap on marine fuels and what that means for terminal operators.

AHEAD OF THE GAME Day two of the conference will focus on ‘the terminal of tomorrow’ with Matthew Hudson, a terminal manager for Shell, looking at how terminals can deploy new technologies in practice. An important factor to consider for the connected terminal is cyber-security and Ilya Tillekens and Marcel Jutte from Hudson Cybertec will be on hand to help with some practical advice. And, as StocExpo will be in Rotterdam and the Port of Rotterdam is at the forefront of digital implementation, Ronald Backers will explain how the port’s efforts are transforming the operational environment for all users.

Other speakers lined up to add their expertise to the discussion include Wilfried Kleiser, senior project manager at Siemens, and Frank Miksicek, systems engineer at Honeywell. An interesting panel session involving many of the day’s speakers will address the question: how to future-proof the tank storage sector.

The third and final day, which is due to end early, will focus on learning from international markets. Kathryn Clay, president of the International Liquids Terminals Association (ILTA) will give an overview of the tank storage sector in the US, followed by a case study from Jeff Dewar, senior vice-president Americas at LBC Tank Terminals, who will look at the current US storage boom and consider how long that will last. Also on the agenda are Peter Davidson, executive director of the UK Tank Storage Association (TSA) and Andy Stanley, director of RAS, who will talk about safety leadership in the tank storage industry.

SAFETY FIRST Alongside the conference, more than 200 exhibitors from around the world will be displaying their wares and their services to the industry, making the 2019 event the biggest yet. Many exhibitors, including Endress+Hauser, Emerson, CEA Systems, J de Jonge, Matrix Applied Technologies, Verwater and CTS Group, will be using StocExpo Europe 2019 as the place to showcase their latest innovations, launch new technologies and products, or to make major announcements to a captive international audience.

Westmark, producer of CableSafe safety hooks, will be previewing its new CableSafe cable stand, used to suspend cables off the work floor during maintenance. With slips, trips and falls accounting for the majority of accidents in the industry, CableSafe hooks and stands offer a simple, cost-effective solution. The stands are free-standing and height adjustable up to 2.5-m, and are coated with a ‘safety yellow’ for high visibility. Keeping walkways and work areas free of dangerous obstructions is key to safety and good housekeeping, and the new cable stand will complement the ‘S’ shaped safety hook that the company introduced in 1995 and is now the industry’s most widely used solution for suspending hoses and cables.

Also focusing on safety, Atex Industries, a specialist in ATEX-certified lighting solutions, will be exhibiting its Opti-light rechargeable, portable ATEX work light. The LED floodlight, which has an operating time of eight hours, has a maximum brightness of 3,200 lumen and can be used in maintenance, inspection and construction work. Due to its rechargeable battery, the work light can also be utilised in case of emergency, with no power supply, cables or transformers required.

Implico, a market leader for terminal management systems, will be exhibiting OpenTAS, its best practice solutions for the tank farm sector. OpenTAS is the terminal management system with the widest range of functions and the tightest ERP and SAP integration on the market, according to the company. The centrepiece of OpenTAS is the Navigator, which steers all logistics operations in a tank farm.

During StocExpo, Implico will present the latest stage in the evolution of this processoriented software, as well as the company’s SAP downstream solutions, SAP secondary distribution management for oil and gas, and SAP retail fuel network operations. Implico will also be exhibiting the TCP-X-Unit, an intelligent handheld IT solution that helps tank storage operators to automate key work steps without the need to replace entire IT landscapes. HCB www.stocexpo.com

WITH EUROPE’S LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF TANK

STORAGE CAPACITY, THE PORT OF ROTTERDAM IS ALSO

LEADING THE WAY IN IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL SYSTEMS

TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES FOR ALL PORT USERS